Chapter 177 --177
"Debatable." Elara paused. "Final question: What happens to you if I fail? If I die, or the cosmic purpose fails, or whatever catastrophe is supposedly coming actually happens?"
The woman blinked. "Why do you care?"
"Because if you’re personally invested in my success beyond just cosmic duty, then your wellbeing becomes a factor in my calculations. Understanding the stakes for all parties improves decision-making quality."
The woman—the divine entity, the goddess, whatever she was—sighed at last. Long and deep, like a parent finally giving up on convincing a stubborn child.
"Listen," she said, voice losing some of its cosmic weight. "You don’t have much time. Your body is filled with poison and you need to go back. You’re slowly returning—looks like your people are trying really hard to save you."
Elara glanced down at herself.
Her form was becoming transparent. Not dramatically—just a little. But yeah, slightly. Like watching frost melt on a window, edges going translucent, substance fading incrementally.
She looked back at the woman.
"So if I die this time, I won’t come here, right?"
The woman nodded. "Yeah. You came here this time because you’re not completely dead. You’re between life and death—suspended in that space where the body hasn’t given up but the soul hasn’t fully committed to staying. It’s rare. Usually, it’s one or the other."
She paused, expression growing more serious.
"The original Elara won’t come back this time. She’s gone—dissolved, recycled, at peace. So now that you’re sure of that, please try to *stay alive* and make sure those things that happened don’t repeat."